Toy cannon.



e. c. LASARES,

TOY CANNON. APPLICATION FILED SEPT-28, I915- 1,1,74,508. w Patented Mar. 7,1916;

- INVENTOR.

wzye flwaw BY /ZW A TTORNE-YS.

GEORGE C. LASAR'E S, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOY CANNON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 28, 1915. Serial No. 53,0 0.

provements in Toy Cannon, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in toy cannon of the magazine type in which a plurality of cylindrical pro ectiles, preferably of light weight material, as wood,

- is located in a suitable magazine above and communicating with the bore of the barrel. The propelling means in general, compr ses a rotatable member to which a spiral spring of suitable length is attached and with means for gradually compressing the spring and holding it under tension for a suitable length of time before it is released, whereby when it is suddenly released its free end will engage the inner end of the lowermost projectile and forcibly expel the same from the barrel. I am aware that it is notnew in the toy cannon art to provide means for rapidly ejecting light projectiles in succession but, I am not awar that it is old to employ a leaf stifi spring with means for gradually placing the same under compression and suddenly releasing it for the purpose of forcibly expelling the lowermost projectile.

Referring briefly to the drawings :F1gure 1 is a side elevation of the complete cannon showing the pedestal, the barrel and the magazine; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on a vertical plane the axis of the barrel; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, showing the magazine construction and a plurality of projectiles therein; Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 2, showing the operating means to which the propelling spring is attached; and Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the manner of attaching the propelling spring to the operating means.

Referring to the drawings in detail: 1 designates the barrel, 2 the pedestal and 3 the magazine. The bore of the barrel is indicated at 4 which terminates at the lower end of the magazine. The barrel 1 is connected to the pedestal 2 by means of the pin jectiles are of a diameter passing through spring,

'5, whereby the cannon can be swung around into different horizontal positions for suitably directing the cannon, as readily understood. The projectiles which are cylindrical in form are indicated at 6. The proslightly less than the width of the magazineholder and are assembled one upon the other so that the lowermost one normally falls into the rear portion of the bore of the barrel. The propelling means comprises an operating crank 7 to which is secured a disk 8 having a circumferential groove 9 turned therein to receive the propelling spring 10. This spring as shown has a bent or inturned end 11 for securing the same to the disk 8. The spring as shown in Fig. 2 extends in a spiral direction so that it's free end 10 lies at the rear part of the opening 12 in the rear part of the barrel 4. The opening l2 is formed with an inclined shoulder portion 13 which is adjacent the bore 4 of the barrel. This shoulder portion is for the purpose of placing the propelling spring 10 under compression when the handle 7 is rotated. As this handle is rotated the spring is gradually placed under compression during the rotation of the disk 8 through substantially an arc of 180 when its free end 10 passes off from the overhanging portion 13 it engages the lowermost projectile in the bore 4 which overhangs the part 12 of the opening 12 and forcibly expels the same. struction permits a continuous rotation by the operator and the rapidity with which the projectiles are expelled depends only upon the rate of rotation of the disk 8. It should be stated that the space between the shoulder 13 and the periphery of the disk 8 is substantially equal to the diameter of the spring 10. The end 11 shown in Fig. 5 as passing completely through the disk 8; its end is formed with a flattened or headed portion 11' to prevent the spring from working loose or flying out when in use as'it is readily apparent that considerabletension is exerted on the spring at the moment that the end 10' frees itself from the shoulder 13.

It is to be understood that applicant doesv not limit himself to any particular form of as a flat or leaf spring may be used.

It will also be seen from this construction Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

This conof spring 10 is' gs; targets that the toy con can be very easily and 'quickly manufactured at a small expense as all of the operations can be on a lathe or other automatic practicy turned out machine It will 0-: observed that the shaft to which the s ring carrying disk is attached is so locatc as tointersect the axis of the barrel, and, that the disk therefore rotates in a plane passing through the axis of the barrel. This construction therefore permits me to release the free end of the spring at a point in its rotation which coincides with the axis of the barrel to expel the projectile. Such a construction permits me to locate all of the operative parts of the cannonwithin the rear portion of the barrel resulting in a smaller structure.

What I claim is: j

1. In a toy cannon, the combination with a barrel having a bored out portion therein, a magazine having its lower portion extending into and communicating with the bored out portion, the rear part of the barrel having an opening formed therein, a disk located in said opening, means for operating said disk, and a spring secured to the disk and carried thereby, means for placing the spring under compression, means to permit its sudden release for driving a projectile through the bore oi the barrel.

2. The combination with the barrel of a toy cannon having a bored out portion, a magazine secured to the upper portion thereof and terminating at the bored out part of the barrel, the barrel being formed with an inclined surface portion terminating adjacent and above the lower part of the magazine, elastic means comprising a spring engaging the inclined surface to place said elastic means under compression, said spring being located in a vertical plane whereby when the elastic means passes from the inclined surface portion adjacent the magazine the lowermost projectile will be expelled.

3. A propelling means for a toy cannon, comprising a disk, a sprin secured thereto, the periphery of the disk eing grooved to receive the spring, a shouldered portion located adjacent the disk for placing the spring under compression and to permit its release as the disk is rotated, whereby when the free end of the spring passes beyond the shouldered portion a projectile may be expelled.

4. A propelling means for. a toy cannon, comprising, a rotatable disk, a spiral shaped spring having a bent end extending through the disk and having a headed portion,.an inclined surface above and at the rear of the bore of the cannon and with which the free end of the spring engages to place the same under compression, the inclined surface terminating adjacent a suitable projectile receiving chamber, whereby when the spiral spring leaves the inclined surface the tree end of the spring will be released for forcibly acting upon a projectile as described.

5. A toy cannon comprising, a barrel naving a bored out portion and an opening 10- I cated therein at its rear end portion the opening being arranged in a vertical plane, said opening being formed with ,an overhanging shoulder portion, a magazine communicating with both the bored out portion and the opening and located adjacent the overhanging portion, a projectile pro elling device comprising a rotatable disk ocated in the opening, a spring secured thereto having a free compressible end which engages the overhanging portion to place the spring under compression prior to its release for expelling a projectile, as described.

6. A toy cannon comprising, in combination, a barrel formed with an opening at its rear portion and a bore extending from the front end of the barrel into said opening, a rotatable disk located in the opening and mounted for continuous rotation, and having its axis located at right angles to the bore of the barrel, a propelling spring ing one end attached to the disk and other end tree, the spring being located the same plane as the disk, the barrel haw ing a shoulder formed adjacent the disk for placing the spring under compression when the disk is continuously rotated, said shoulder terminating at a point to permit the free end of the spring to be released in substantially the axial line of the bore of the barrel.

7. In a toy cannon the combination, a barrel having a projectile receiving bore, a projectile magazine opening directly into the bore, a spiral-shaped propelling spring rotatable on an axis transverse to the axis of the barrel and in the same line as the axis of the barrel, means to place the spring under compression, and to permit its release at a. point coinciding with the axis of the barrel for ejecting the projectile.

8. A. projectile ejecting means for a toy cannon, comprising a continuously rotatable disk, an arc-shaped spring having one of its ends secured to the periphery of the disk and its free end spaced at a distance from the periphery of the disk, means to place the spring under compression as the disk is rotated, and to permit the free end of the and point coinciding with the bore for ejecting. of the barrel, meanrto place the spring v a projectile. under compression, and to permit its release 10. In a toy cannon the combination, a at a oint coinciding with the axis of the barrel having a projectile receiving bore, a. barre forejecti-nithe rojectile. v I 5 projectile magazme opening directly into G OR E C. LASARES;

the bore, a spiral-shaped propelling spring 7 Witness: 2

rotatable on an axis transverse to the axis HARRY W. 

